what is going to be your next laptop

[rkawakami]

When my Thinkpad T23 fails (in the future),...<snip>

...send it to me!

[SaberX]

And Dell has been making very solid Latitudes in the last two years

Perhaps on planet Foozbane, but not on planet Earth!

I love Thinkpads and still think they are the best laptop's for the money.
BUT the Latitude's from the D420/620/820 and newer are very well bulit systems.I'm useing a D820 now.There is some things i dont like with them.The trackpoint is not as good. but theres things about the Thinkpads i dont like eather.
This D820 i'm useing now is very solid.I would say the same as the A31P i have and "feel's same or better then my buddys T60P.
The WUXGA in this D820 is hands down better then the T60P WSXGA+.Not just the high rez but just better to look at.
I guess up here on the island of Newfoundland is planet Foozbane.
Now the Dell inspiron line is a whole diffrent game.Very poor systems.

[KristianJ]

Now the Dell inspiron line is a whole diffrent game.Very poor systems.

I didn't mind the 700m that I had for a month earlier in the year. Certainly not in the league of my current stable of machines, but not as rubbish as my ageing old Latitude CPi A that lives in a drawer in my sister's desk, where it'll wait until I finally get around to chucking its carcass on eBay.

[TTY]

...overall ugliness...

David Hill, Vice President Lenovo Corporate Identity and Design, gave a hint as to why ThinkPads look the way they do, when he said: "I'd never wear a silver business suit."

[pianowizard]

Now the Dell inspiron line is a whole diffrent game.Very poor systems.

I didn't mind the 700m

I do agree with SaberX that in general, the Inspirons are poorly made. They are better than they used to be -- my first laptop, an Inspiron 8200, was absolute crap. But they are still far worse than the Latitude and Vostro lines, not to mention the Thinkpads. The Inspiron 700m was a special case. I suspect its small size helped, because it's easier to make a small laptop solid than bigger ones.

Most criticisms about Dell laptop quality are for the Inspirons and the pre-2006 Latitudes. It's important to realize that Dell drastically redesigned the Latitudes in 2006. My colleague has a Latitude D610 (introduced in 2005) and it's so pathetic! But its successor, the D620, is so much better that I've been tempted to get one quite a few times. (If you don't believe me, read the reviews on notebookreview.com for the D610 and the D620. Read the "Build & Design" sections.) It's also important to keep in mind that:

The Inspiron line is equivalent to Lenovo's 3000 and Ideapad series.

The XPS line is also equivalent to Lenovo's 3000 and Ideapad series, though it's more powerful than the Inspirons.

The Vostro line (launched in 2007) is equivalent to IBM/Lenovo's R and SL series.

The Latitude line is equivalent to IBM/Lenovo's T and X series.

I've seen so people compare the Inspirons with the Thinkpads, which is unfair because they are intended for different uses.

David Hill, Vice President Lenovo Corporate Identity and Design, gave a hint as to why ThinkPads look the way they do, when he said: "I'd never wear a silver business suit."

I have been on this forum long enough to be familiar with this philosophy. And I agree with him. I prefer serious, plain looking machines for my business use. That's why I like the Dell Latitude E4200 and plan to buy it next year when I become a professor. Go to this photo gallery to see what it looks like. IMO, it looks even more professional than the Thinkpads, and infinitely more stylish.